Keeping People Alive—Hospital Cleaning Services in Montreal

June 11, 2014

Get Well Soon

When you think hospital, what usually comes to mind is cleanliness. But that’s often not the case in many hospitals all across North America. In recent years, there have been an alarming number of infectious outbreaks; some leading to death; which were attributed to low hygienic standards in hospitals. It’s estimated that about 8000 Canadians die each year from infections they picked up in hospitals!

Keep in mind that most patients undergo successful surgeries and are often picking up infections after being returned to recovery rooms. Be it from budget restrictions, time-challenged employees or money saving efforts, skimping on cleaning efforts in a hospital can literally cost you someone’s life. Reasons aside, the fact that many hospitals are well below acceptable sanitary standards must change. And in fact, it’s not as hard as it may seem. Nor does it need to be costly in time or money. Here are a few tips on keeping hospitals above average in the sanitation department:

Aging Infrastructure

Let’s face it. Some of our hospitals are downright old! Old buildings require constant repairs and upgrades are harder to maintain and sanitize, can have problems with pests, unsafe materials, flooring, plumbing and wiring. These all contribute to the health of the hospital environment, and largely; the patients. If you’re dealing with an old building, make sure that your cleaning staff are aware of any potential problem areas so they can take precaution and perform extra cleaning where it’s truly needed.

Shared Bathrooms

Privacy is definitely a luxury when it comes to most people’s stays in the hospital. But the fact that many patients must share bathrooms is a big factor in the spread of infections. Add to that sketchy cleaning schedules and practices, and you’ve got a breeding ground for germs. Ask your janitorial staff to pay special attention to all washroom areas. Use full-strength disinfectants on showers, toilets and sinks; and make sure that floors, walls, light switches etc. are also spot cleaned daily.

Wash your hands

No brainer right? You’d be surprised! Hand washing is arguably the number one culprit for spreading infections; anywhere. If everyone, including doctors, visitors, nurses and patients all washed their hands properly and regularly, many infections would not be spread. Posting hand washing signs is a good reminder that will help encourage people to wash. Make sure that all of your staff have proper training that teaches why hand washing is so important.

Green Trend

While going green is good for business and the health of the environment, it can be detrimental to your sanitization efforts if you don’t use those products properly. Green products by nature are less harmful than traditional hospital sanitizers and cleaning products, so it goes without saying that they do require proper usage in order to effectively sanitize and clean. If your cleaning staff is watering down your products or not using them properly, you could be creating a situation for an outbreak to occur. Green cleaning products require proper education and usage to ensure acceptable levels of sanitization.

If you’re not sure how to implement or upgrade your cleaning program, talk to the professionals! Find a reputable and competitive cleaning company in Montreal, like Can-Jan, who provides thorough hospital cleaning services. Because we’ve been in business since 1961, we know how to properly clean hospitals to meet today’s high standard. Our sanitization, sterilization and disinfecting services are consistent and reliable; performed by our team of fully-trained and insured cleaning professionals.

Why not give us a call and find out how we can collaborate with your team to keep your hospital in top shape?